The Good Project

UNICEF's spring campaign – For Every Child!

By Anna-Karin Wårfors, 2013/06/25

Thanks to immunization campaigns, the deadly polio virus has been nearly wiped out. In 1988, polio existed in 125 countries. Now, that number has fallen to just 20. It's concrete evidence that assistance matters!

During spring, Gina Tricot participated in the UNICEF campaign, "For Every Child" in Sweden. We raised SEK 416,598 for the campaign from the sale of specially designed UNICEF pins at all of our stores in Sweden.

We sold 8,502 pins for SEK 49 each. The proceeds from the sale of just one pin is enough to vaccinate 12 children against polio!

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Environmental policy

We dare to say that we are very proud of our day-to-day environmental work. As foundation we have a strong environmental policy and clear environmental targets which helps us to continuously improve our business.

The suppliers we hire to manufacture our products must adhere to our code of conduct. This concerns issues regarding wages, working hours, health and safety. The requirements are based on international labour standards (ILO). We have also chosen to add requirements which concerns chemical management and animal husbandry.

A synthetic fibre made from polyacrylonitrile. Used throughout the world, it has the advantage of being soft and easy to mix with other fibres. The disadvantage is that it is not particularly environmentally friendly, as it is a synthetic fibre, which is basically made from oil. In addition, powerful solvents are used to stretch the fibres, so you could say that acrylic is worse for the environment than, say polyester or polyamide.

Angora

Hair from the soft Angora rabbit. Soft and comfortable, but not so hardwearing. Should not be confused with mohair, which comes from the Angora goat.

Batique

A traditional colouring method from Asia, where parts of the fabric are covered before dyeing to create patterns. You can either apply wax to parts of the fabric or fold or knot the fabric so that the dye cannot penetrate certain areas.

BCI

Abbreviation for Better Cotton Initiative.

Better cotton

A project in which tens of thousands of cotton farmers are educated in more sustainable cotton farming methods, which includes everything from irrigation to fertilizers and pesticides. The goal is not to create organic cotton, but to contribute to improved cotton production on a large scale. With many companies supporting the project, we are hoping to make the price of the raw product more comparable with regular cotton.

BSCI

Since 2008, Gina Tricot has been a member of BSCI, Business Social Compliance Initiative. BSCI is an organisation of more than 900 member companies with the goal of improving working conditions in supplier countries. BSCI brings hundreds of companies together around a code of conduct and supports them in their work to create an ethical supply chain. As a member of BSCI, Gina Tricot has access to things such as a platform for following up our suppliers and we are bound by our membership to implement the common code of conduct in our supplier chains.

Coated

Coated fabric, where you can achieve effects such as gloss, oily or other effects with the help of various substances. Can also be functional, for example on waxed jackets that are made water-resistant.

Cotton

Natural fibres that grow on bushes in tropical or subtropical climates. The cotton fibres grow in a boll around the seeds of the cotton flower and are almost pure cellulose.
Cotton is the raw material that made the decisive contribution to the industrial revolution that began at the end of the 18th century, and has been one of the world's most important commodities ever since.
Cotton is both easy and hard to grow. There are plenty of places where cotton can grow, but in order to a farm to produce a sufficient harvest, a lot of water and usually a large volume of artificial fertilizers and pesticides are required. The debate about cotton’s environmental impact has affected the entire textile industry, but alternatives like organic cotton are still produced on a relatively small scale and there are still price differences, making a readjustment complicated.
Cotton is very durable and becomes softer the more it is used and washed.

CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility is the collective term for the responsibility our company has as regards our code of conduct. At Gina Tricot, we have someone whose sole responsibility it is to continually ensure that we, and our suppliers, follow the codes and participate in the cooperations we have with other companies and organisations in the area.

Denim

Denim is simply a cotton fabric in twill weave, where the warp is blue and the weft is white. The west is the yarn that is woven into the fabric that sits in the loom. The word denim originally comes from the phrase ‘de Nîmes’, i.e. ‘from Nîmes’, a town in southern France where weavers produced fabric for hard-wearing gold miners’ trousers, which the not too unfamiliar Levi Strauss sold with great success in the Wild West.
Garments that have been dyed using the denim technique will continually leach colour, which is what makes jeans so attractively worn!

Destroyed

The next step after vintage. The word is often used for jeans that have been finished manually so that they are worn, torn or patched. There should preferably be a few holes in the garment to really be able to call it 'destroyed'.

Dip-Dye

Just what it sounds like, i.e. garments that have been dipped in a dye-bath to colour part of the garment.

Elastane

An extremely elastic fibre made from polyurethane. It is partly used as a component of garments you want to be stretchy, partly on its own in things like swimwear, usually under the classic, slightly comical, brand name of Spandex.

Garment dyeing

Garment that are dyed after they have been sewn together. You normally sew garments from ready-dyed fabric, but with garment dyeing you can, through washing and finishing, achieve effects such as wear or produce garments that are softer than normal.

Human Bridge

Charity organisation that collects and sorts clothes. The usable clothes become aid.

ILO

The International Labour Organisation is an independent industry organisation for labour rights within the UN. They draw up international labour rights legislation, Which is what forms the basis for our code of conduct in this area.

Knitted

In order to produce a knitted fabric, you must create stitches that hook onto each other row after row. This can be done by hand or by machine, of which there are two kinds: flatbed knitting machines produce a normal, flat fabric and circular knitting machines produce a large tube of fabric.

Linen

A material made from flax, also known as linseed. The fibres and yarn are called flax (Linum usitatissimum, or linseed), whereas the material is called linen. A little confusing perhaps.
Flax is a crop that has been long been farmed in Europe and Sweden. There are two types of flax, oil flax and textile flax. The latter can be retted and broken down to become a textile fibre with a number of positive qualities.
Linen products are durable and have a high moisture-transporting capacity, which makes it ideal for things like bedding. However, linen goods must be mangled to be smooth and due to the labour intensive manufacturing process, today linen is an exclusive fabric. There are however a lot of linen products left from the past; a great buy for anyone wanting fine tablecloths, towels and sheets!
When we talk about sustainability in the textile industry these days, flax and linen are starting to look interesting again. Flax farming has no negative impacts on the environment at all and, for the European market, it is a locally produced fibre.

Lycocell

The generic name for Tencel®, which is a brand name. The brand name for lyocell, which is an improved version of regular viscose, where the chemicals in the process are reused and the pulp comes from the eucalyptus tree. Lyocell is often included among the sustainable fibres and have many positive properties, such as the fact that they produce very soft products. However, soft products are usually less durable; you can rarely have it all!

Lycra

A brand name for elastane. Same thing, different name.

Modal

The brand name for a type of lyocell, similar to Tencel®, but the major difference here is that the raw material comes from beechwood.

Mohair

Soft but not hardwearing fibre from the Angora goat. Has a lovely lustre.

Nylon

Originally it was a brand name for polyamide synthetic fibres, but the name has now become synonymous with the material. Nylon was invented in 1934 and was intended to be a substitute for silk. The material has been used in everything from parachutes to stockings (nylons!) which were originally made from expensive, fragile silk. Nylon is extremely durable and elastic.

Organic cotton

Cotton that has been grown entirely without artificial fertilizers or pesticides and where irrigation is sustainable. The cultivation is often based on crop rotation and new methods of pest control, for example prevention through odour!
In order for a product to be sold as organic, it must be certified by an independent inspection body. There are several of these, but the most well-known overall certification is currently GOTS, which is worldwide.
Organic farming is more labour-intensive than regular farming and certification means being able to trace the product throughout the entire production chain. This means that organic cotton is more expensive than regular cotton.
There are no technical differences between organic cotton and regular cotton, so the reason for choosing organic is wanting to care for the environment and for the people who work on the cotton plantations and their work environment.

Organic leather

Leather that has been tanned in an environmental manner, for example using oakwood instead of metals.

Polyamide

A group of chemical compounds that contain amide groups. These can be both hard and soft plastics, where the best known textile fibre is called Nylon. Because Nylon is a brand name, the label often just says polyamide.

Polyester

A type of synthetic fibre, in other words an oil-based material. Introduced in the 1950s and today used extensively, polyester is the world's second most common textile fibre after cotton. The disadvantage with polyester is that is an oil-based material, and is thus not from a renewable source. However, one advantage of polyester is that it is easy to recycle.

Polyurethane

A plastic material that can be hard, soft when it is a foam, or elastic, like a rubber band. Polyurethane is often used as a coating for textiles, and often with the purpose of creating decorative or imitation structures. Polyurethane is also used in shoes and bags.

Rayon

A type of viscose that contains lyocell and modal.

Recycled polyester

Quite simply polyester that has been recycled, for example using old clothes or plastic bottles to produce new fibres. The environmental advantage of oil-based materials is that they can be recycled in this way.

Silk

A natural material that is made from the cocoons of the silkworm. Because the manufacturing process is complicated and the material has a fine feel, silk is often expensive and is primarily used for accessories, at least on western markets. In Asian countries silk is more common and more often used in dresses and scarves.
Silk has a very fine feel, but can sometimes be difficult to wash.

STWI

Together with around 30 other Swedish textile and leather companies, we are part of the Sweden Textile Water Initiative, STWI. The purpose is, over a period of two years, to learn more about the main water-related factors in the textile and leather industry. STWI is also seeking to draw up guidelines for sustainable water consumption in the production chain.

Swedish Chemicals Group

A group of Swedish textile and fashion companies who have come together to learn more about chemicals and who exchange information about responsible chemicals management.

Tencel®

The brand name for lyocell.

Tricot

A word that is close to our heart. Tricot is a finely knitted fabric using thin yarns, where the result is a softer, more elastic fabric than a woven fabric.

UNICEF

Stands for United Nation’s Children’s Fund, whose activities are based on the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child. During the second half of 2010, thanks to Gina Tricot financing, UNICEF opened several preschools (early learning centres) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The cooperation between Gina Tricot and UNICEF spans a six-year period, includes 150 preschools and will give 22,000 children a better chance of finishing school.

Vintage

Actually means 'from a particular year', but can in the fashion world either refer to old garments of a finer quality (uglier qualities have to content themselves with being called second-hand), or garments that have been treated to look worn or old, but in a good way.

Viscose

A regenerative fibre, produced through wooden fibres being chemically treated until they become a pulp, from which textile fibres can be extracted. This is a traditional method that started becoming highly interesting again when conventional cotton started being questioned. Not least in Sweden, viscose could be a smart way of utilizing the abundant availability of raw timber.
The problem with viscose is that the actual process is environmentally harmful, as it uses powerful chemicals and these aren’t recycled. This is why suppliers have come up with better viscose materials, such as lyocell.
In general, viscose is very soft, so the material results in comfortable garments. However, these are not always as durable as cotton garments.

Wool

Natural fibres that come from sheep and lambs. Wool grows on the entire animal and must be sheared for the animal's wellbeing. After shearing, the wool is sorted into various qualities, depending on where on the animal the wool has grown and the length of the fibres.
Wool warms both when it is dry and when it is damp. It is also extremely durable and, as airing suffices, it doesn't need to be washed very often. Some people find wool itchy, but that is usually because the wool is the wrong quality for wearing against the skin; various types of wool are quite simply suitable for different types of clothing.
Other problems associated with wool include a method known as mulesing, i.e. where sheep farmers remove skin from the rear of the animal to avoid parasites, or sheep dipping, which is an attempt to prevent parasites by forcing the animal through a chemical bath - so called sheep-dipping.. Both of these practices are heavily questioned and are now much less frequently used.

Woven

Technique were the yarn produces a fabric through being woven in a loom. There are many weaving techniques and in different systems you can produce interwoven patterns that can sometimes be extremely complicated. Weaving techniques are very much built on preparations and mathematics, but when this is done, modern looms can weave very quickly.
The most common weaving techniques are plain weave and twill weave. Plain weave is recognisable from the yarn's criss-cross pattern. Canvas fabric is an example of this technique. Twill weave produces a fabric in which the threads are diagonal; most jeans are woven in twill weave.

Does Gina Tricot set any demands on its suppliers when it comes to the use of chemicals?

Yes. Gina Tricot has a list of chemicals that are limited or prohibited in the production of our products. This list is part of the General Agreement that all suppliers sign before production can begin.

Are Gina Tricot's products tested for chemical contents?

Yes. Gina Tricot and our suppliers carry out regular tests on products from new suppliers and on new materials and products with a higher risk. We also carry out random sample testing from the head office.

When it comes to product quality, does Gina Tricot set any demands on its suppliers?

Yes. Gina Tricot has a list of quality demands that all products should meet. This list is part of the General Agreement that all suppliers sign before production begins. The suppliers regularly test the quality of the products, and we carry out tests all the time at the head office.

Does Gina Tricot test its products to examine product quality?

Yes. Gina Tricot carries out regular tests on products to maintain as uniform a product quality as possible.

Does Gina Tricot set demands on jewellery being nickel free?

No. As a rule, our products/details are not nickel free. But we comply with EU legislation and the limits that have been established so that users do not develop allergies. This means that a certain amount of nickel is allowed and in Gina Tricot’s chemicals list on limited or forbidden chemicals, that is the amount we use. Our jewellery suppliers also comply with our chemicals list.

Has Gina Tricot taken a stand with regard to the use of sandblasting in jeans production?

Yes, Gina Tricot does not allow sandblasting. This is to protect the health and safety of those who work with the manufacture of our products.

What is Gina Tricot's stand when it comes to mulseing?

We only use certified non-museled wool.

Are Gina Tricot products tested on animals?

Gina Tricot does not allow animal testing on our cosmetic end products.

When it comes to fur, can I trust that Gina Tricot only uses faux fur in its products?

Yes. Gina Tricot only uses faux fur, which is manufactured from synthetic materials.

At Gina Tricot, do you use down or feathers in your products?

Gina Tricot only uses down or feathers from birds that have been raised for meat production. We do not allow down or feathers to be plucked from live birds. We only collaborate with one supplier for our down and feather products and that supplier is RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified.

How do you work with leather goods?

Leather is only accepted in our products if it comes from dead animals that have been raised for meat production. We’ve selected a handful of tanneries and suppliers to work with and they are the only ones that we source genuine leather from for our products at Gina Tricot.

Does Gina Tricot have any demands with regard to the use of parabens?

Gina Tricot does not allow parabens in its makeup products. Parabens are listed in Gina Tricot's chemical list, which is adhered to by our cosmetic suppliers.

All products with care advice are also marked with their country of origin.

Does Gina Tricot have a code of conduct?

Yes. Our code of conduct is the basis of our work with all responsibility issues at Gina Tricot. The code of conduct covers our demands with regard to wages, working hours, health and safety, which our suppliers must adhere to. These demands are based on international labour standards (ILO) and are used by all members of BSCI.

How does Gina Tricot ensure that the code of conduct is adhered to?

As a member of BSCI, Gina Tricot has access to a platform for following up our suppliers. We also visit our suppliers on a regular basis.

What is BSCI?

The Business Social Compliance Initiative is an organisation that works to improve working conditions in our suppliers' countries. By being a part of this organisation, we have access to tools for following up and educating our suppliers.

Does child labour occur in the factories where you have your production?

Gina Tricot does not accept child labour, but we are aware that it is difficult to monitor the entire production chain. The rules in the code of conduct are there to protect children from financial exploitation, from carrying out work that is dangerous, affects their education or is harmful to the child's health and development. Unfortunately child labour survives because the laws that exist are not followed fully and due to the weakness of social and political systems in many countries. If someone under the age of 15 should be found working in a factory, as part of BSCI we have a plan for how this is to be dealt with, with the focus being on helping the child.

Where are the clothes you sell produced?

The majority of our manufacturing is done in Turkey, followed by China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. A small percentage of manufacturing also occurs in a few European countries.

Gina Tricot does not own the factories, how can you be sure that inspections are carried out and followed?

We work with the tools that BSCI provides, audits, training courses and knowledge exchange, among other things. BSCI is a business-driven initiative for companies committed to improving working conditions in the global supply chain. The basis of the follow up is BSCI's code of conduct and it is also fundamental in the contracts we sign with our suppliers.

Are the factory inspections planned or unannounced?

An important prerequisite for long-term improvements in working conditions is based on trust between supplier and client. Our own visits to suppliers are planned, partly due to our work with creating this trust, but also to ensure that the people we need to meet are actually on site when we visit. Audits are also carried out on planned dates for the same reasons as above, plus the fact that there is an extensive audit questionnaire with more than 400 questions that need to be answered. A lot of the questions require supporting documentation and, to ensure that all documents are available, it is necessary to plan the visit. There are also unannounced visits, particularly if we suspect that something is wrong.

You have all your production in low-wage countries, how do you ensure that the people producing your clothes have fair conditions?

Our goal is to, together with our suppliers, achieve a safe and positive working environment for the people who produce our products. Dialogue and supplier development are key terms in achieving this goal. We do not own the factories that produce our clothes, so a close cooperation with our suppliers is a prerequisite for ensuring our clothes and accessories meet the demands we have on design and quality. Plus the fact that the factories where production is carried out meet the demands in our code of conduct. In order to be able to follow up the work at our suppliers, we have been part of BSCI since the spring of 2008. We visit the factories continuously with regard to product development and to inform them of, and carry out inspections to ensure they are adhering to, the code of conduct. This is time-consuming work and a constant ongoing process.

How do you check that the factories are safe?

Ensuring the workplace is safe and healthy is one of the 11 areas in the code of conduct and it is followed up during an audit. The checks include safety equipment, fire protection, access to toilets and clean water.

Do you allow trade unions in the factories?

The right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are in our code of conduct. We cannot carry out union activities, but we can set demands that joining should be acceptable.

Why don't you pay the factory workers minimum wages they can live on?

Gina Tricot owns no factories of its own; we purchase goods from a range of different manufacturers. It is our opinion that it is in each particular country that wages are best determined between the employer and the employee, with support from the national legislation In our code of conduct, we demand that the suppliers pay at least the legal minimum wage. Today there is no definition of a 'survival wage' for each country or region, but there are a number of different ways to calculate it. In those cases where a minimum wage is too low, we feel that it should regularly be audited by local authorities to reflect other inflation rates in society.

You manufacture a large quantity of clothing. What is your responsibility for dealing with this clothing after it is no longer wanted by customers?

A big part of sustainability efforts involves reducing waste. Unwanted items can be dropped of at our stores in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Germany. Our recycling partner, Human Bridge, takes over these items. They work with a partner company in Holland, which has the capacity for large-scale textile recycling. We donate leftover items from our stores to Human Bridge or Fretex, in Norway. To learn more about recycling, we belong to a network in our industry and are in continual dialogue with stakeholders.

Your head office is a so-called Green Building, was does that mean?

Our office in Borås is built to consume at least 25% less energy than prescribed by Swedish construction standards. Energy saving measures and results obtained are reviewed by the Sweden Green Building Council.

Does Gina Tricot publish a sustainability report?

In spring 2013, we published our first Sustainability Report and we will publish a new report each spring. The Sustainability Report is available at The Good Project.

At Gina Tricot, do you use any materials from animals in your products?

We care very much about animals. For this reason, we don't use angora, down, feathers or real fur. When we use merino wool, it is always sourced from farms that do not use the museling procedure. Our genuine leather products are always from animals raised for food purposes and we only source from tanneries that we have closely investigated.

What is Gina Tricot's position on mulesing?

We do not use merino wool at all because we want to take a stand against mulesing and the way in which sheep are often transported.

You have a project in Bangladesh, what does this cooperation between UNICEF and Gina Tricot involve?

The cooperation between Gina Tricot and UNICEF spans a six year period, includes the construction of 150 preschools and will give 22,000 children a better chance of finishing school. The preschools are in the slum areas of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the children that attend them are between 4 and 5 years old. The preschools have been financed by Gina Tricot and built by Unicef. UNICEF is the UN's Children's Fund and works on behalf of the UN to promote children's rights. http://unicef.se/partners

What can I do for the environment?

By looking after your clothes, you can spare the environment from any unnecessary impact. Try to air your clothes instead of washing them as often as possible. If you really have to wash them, remember to lower the temperature, also try and fill the machine and always use gentle, environmentally-approved washing detergent. Always follow the instructions on the packet so that you do not overdose the washing detergent. Finally, you make a big difference if you hang your clothes to dry instead of using the tumble dryer.

Have you published a list of your suppliers?

Yes. Our list of suppliers contains all of the factories currently owned or used by our suppliers. We continually update the list.

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